Bare Bones Tour: DC Design House 2010

If good bones are any indication of the success of a show home, then this year's DC Design House is going to be delicious. Last Saturday, the 2010 DC Design house team opened the doors of this year's site, a beautiful Chevy Chase beaux-arts mansion, for one last look at its current state before the designers begin working their magic this week.

The historic home located at 3911 Bradley Lane in Chevy Chase, MD was built in 1905, renovated in 1910, added onto in 1924, and has since been the site of an inauguration party for Harry S. Truman, a residence to two Ambassadors, and location of the NSO Decorator's showhouse in 1974. With soaring ceilings, detailed mill work, and enormous windows, the house seems to be an ideal location for nineteen of DC's top designers to display their talent. Here's a peek into a few of the rooms...

• 1-3. The Conservatory to be designed by Barry Dixon of Barry Dixon, Inc. The windows alone made my heart flutter, I can only imagine what type of elegance Barry will bring to this soaring space.• Victoria Sanchez of Victoria Sanchez Interiors (library)• 4. The Reception/Sitting Room to be designed by Nestor Santa-Cruz. I'm interested to see what Nestor does with the elaborately painted ceiling. • 5, 6. The Living Room to be designed by Frank Babb Randolph. Great light and intricate molding make this room a showstopper already. Just imagine what it will look like when it's not electric peach!• 7. The Sunroom to be designed by Sarah Wessel. This photo does not due justice to the incredible amount of sunlight flooding this tiny room. Even in the dead of winter, stepping into the room felt like being transported to the tropics. Sarah is planning to enliven the room with a youthful floral print, a fresh but sophisticated coastal palette, and lots of texture.• 8-10. The Foyer, Staircase, and Upstairs Hall to be designed by Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey of SCW Interiors. Shazalynn is planning to elevate the gracious space with an elegant neutral palette and a beautiful array of lighting fixtures. • 11. The Study to be designed by Rose DiNapoli of Morris DiNapoli. We can't wait to see the dark and dated study transformed under Rose's lively direction.• 12. The Guest Bedroom to be designed by Michael Hampton whom you may remember from his House Tour. Sophisticated blues punctuate a range of neutrals with a beautiful variety of textures.• 13. The Guest Sitting Room to be designed by Barbara Franceski of Barbara Franceski LLC. This is Barbara's first show home, but I'm predicting her room will be one of the favorites. From the plans, it's already one of mine. Barbara's vision seems to possess a wonderful balance of old world grandeur and contemporary flair.• 14, 15. The Family Living Room to be designed by Kelley Proxmire. Kelley is plannign to use a classic spread of grays, blacks, whites, and taupes to bring this sunny room from sugar sweet sherbet pink to sleek and timeless.• 16. The Girl's Bedroom will be designed by Page Palmer of Page Palmer Interior Design. Page will be using a youth palette of purples and greens to bring the small bedroom to life.• 17. The Artist Studio to be designed by Tracy Morris of Tracy Morris Design. We can't wait to see what Tracy does with this sunny angular room!• 18, 19. The Master Bedroom to be designed by Sally Steponkus of Sally Steponkus Interior. We didn't even have to see Sally's plans to know that her vision for this room would be stellar. She will be using a combination of classic patterns, contemporary prints, and maybe even a few transformed craigslist finds to bring this room to life.• 20. The Master bath and Dressing Room will be designed by Celia Welch. Celia is planning to restructure the interior walls to create a more sizable floor plan while still aiming to provide ample storage space.

Also participating in this year's DC Design House are Andrew Law of Andrew Law Interior Design who will be transforming the conservatory terrace; Victoria Sanchez of Victoria Sanchez Interiors who will be designing the library; Basha White of Basha White Interiors who will be designing the dining room; Clive Christian Kitchens who will be working on the butlers pantry, kitchen, and porch; Lisa Adams of Adams Design, Inc. who will be designing the boy’s bedroom and bathroom; and Cynthia Ferranto Landscape Design who will be in charge of the landscape design.

The designers will have one month to transform the home before it is open to the public from April 10 – May 9, 2010. Tickets are $20, and all proceeds benefit the Children's National Medical Center. For more information, please visit the 2010 DC Design House website.